Immerse yourself in a new world with Blue Ocean VR and AR at rAge

rAge is South Africa’s biggest annual video gaming, computer, technology and geek culture exhibition and this year there is a special treat in store for Virtual and Augmented Reality enthusiasts. Blue Ocean VR is coming to rAge 2016! Bringing you the hottest tech trends. With Blue Ocean VR you can finally experience unparalleled immersion in virtual reality with the new HTC Vive.

The HTC Vive is a first-of-its kind virtual reality system, designed for room-scale VR. Vive turns a room into a 3D space using more than 70 sensors, has a refresh rate of 90 Hz and uses two screens, one per eye, each having a resolution of 1080×1200 creating a virtual world which allows the user to navigate naturally. The ability to walk around and use motion tracked handheld controllers to vividly manipulate objects, interact with precision, communicate and experience engaging environments is the cornerstone of this ground breaking tech. Vive allows for immersive experiences thanks to stunning graphics, HD haptic feedback and 360˚ motion tracking.

Over the course of the weekend, Blue Ocean VR will be bringing you the latest VR technology and the most popular games. Taking place in a 2x4m green screen play area, rAge goers can wear the Vive headset and, using two motion controllers, get lost in a surreal universe while they experience mixed reality. The game line-up includes Space Pirate Trainer, LongBow and AudioShield.

Not only will you experience the fantasy worlds of VR, there is the added layer of augmented reality. Blue Ocean VR will be taking the real world and enhancing it with virtual reality. So what’s the difference between the two?

Virtual reality (VR) is an artificial, computer-generated simulation or recreation of a real life environment or situation. It immerses the user by making them feel like they are experiencing the simulated reality first hand, primarily by stimulating their vision and hearing.

Augment.com

“Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that layers computer-generated enhancements atop an existing reality in order to make it more meaningful through the ability to interact with it. AR is developed into apps and used on mobile devices to blends digital components into the real world in such a way that they enhance one another, but can also be told apart easily”.

Basically with virtual reality, you can swim with sharks. And with augmented reality, you can watch a shark pop out of your business card. While VR is more immersive, AR provides more freedom for the user as well as more possibilities as a head-mounted display is not necessary.

I pretty much started gaming on Famicom! For those who didnt survive the flood on the ark with Noah, this was an 1980's 8-bit console using interchangeable cartridges. (Google it, it will blow your mind!). From there things got a bit more hardcore, and I started playing DOS-Based games, (Again...google is your friend.) and that progressed through Windows 3.1, until the present where I enjoy intense graphics, captivating story-lines, alternate endings and mind-numbing grinds on both PS4 and Windows PC. Other hobbies include DJ'ing House, Progressive, Trance, Tech and Minimal. I love watching Anime, my favorite shows are Naruto, Bleach and Sword Art Online. Epic, I know.